The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-06-22


seniority of his Kingdom in wealth and
civilization entities it. When Kalakaua
first announced his intention of visiting US,
the caricaturists, with a sense of humor
greater than their geographical knowledge,
exhibited their ludicrous ignorance OF the
King of the Cannibal Islands by portray
ing him as naked savage, INDUCING in
the comestible politely known in Papua as
"long pig" They must have been agree
ably surprised to find the supposed bar
barian a handsome ard even accomplished
gentleman, on good terms with his tailor.
prone to hospitality, and the dispenser OF
at least two Orders of Knighthood, one OF
which, for distinguished women, IS named
in honor of his Queen. Hawaii has long
since ceased to receive missionaries. On
the contrary. she sends them TO the other
Pacific Islands, and the Sunday school
children in Honolulu, Hilo or Lahalna are
quite as well acquainted with the final pur-
nose of a missionary box" as the chill
dren of these ATTITUDES. Hawaii, in truth, Is
Incoming as prosaic as islands so pictu-
rescue can ever become. The old stories
and anecdotes about 1t are worn out. Not
even a veteran diner-out would now ven
ture to refer to the Sandwich Island King
who, when he tired of civilization, had his
''Iying-off days." and no visitors to Homo
lulu nowadays can truthtully tell OF Royal
entertainers asking the King If he felt
like brandy and water" These apocry-
phal bits of history relate to former
regime and to a monarch who, if not more
iovial than the present Sovereign, was not
so sensible of the dignity of his office.
Queen KapioIani is not, of course, the
first Hawaiian Queen who has visited
England Queen Emma, the widow of
Kamehameha ", was well-known per-
sonage in London society, and at one time
seemed likely to be elected Sovereign of
the Islands Indeed, when the votes of
the Legislature fell on David Kalakaua, the
indignation of her supporters was SO great
that a riot ensued, the unpopular legis-
Iators were mobbed, and had it not been
for the prompt interference of the English
and American naval officers, whose ships
were in the harbor, serious tumult might
have been the result of the peoples dis
appointment. But the wisdom Of the
electors choice has since been universally
acknowledged. And long before Queen
Emma came here in the interest Of the
English Church in Hawaii, we received a
visit from a Hawaiian King and his Con-
sort. This was in 1924, when a voyage to
Europe was far longer and more difficult
than IN these days of swift mail steamers
and the Pacific railroad. Soon after EuroP-
can seamen began to frequent the group, a
decided Generalization of the natives be-
came apparent Morality declined until 1t
threatened to become extinct, and evils
from which the Islands have not yet re-
covered babe fair for time to reduce them
to anarchy. Consuls forgot their duties,
and naval officers encouraged instead of
checking the decadence which had over
taken the simple Islanders. Kamehame-
ha 1. was so conscious that unless things
grew better the Hawaiians could never
hold their own, that he offered his kingdom
to George III, and, indeed, died under the
belief that he was the suffragan of the
English King. Kamehameha III, weak
and not a sOber-Sovereign, but lover
of his people, resolved to visit England in
order to interest George ". in the Islands,
and embarked with his Queen on board a
French vessel for Portsmouth. The visit,
however was an unfortunate one, for soon
after landing one of the party was attacked
by measles, and in few days all of them
were stricken down by a disease which is
terribly fatal to the Polynesian and Papuan
races. In less than a month the Queen
died, and in four days the King followed
her without having ever seen George ",
for the sake of an interview with whom
they had travelled SO far and suffered so
much. A happier fate will attend Queen
Kapiolani.